Pregnancy Massage

• Enhance the health & functioning of the pelvic & abdominal organs, promoting fertility

• Improve mental, emotional, & physical wellbeing

• Detoxify, balance, & relax the woman’s body, making it an ideal environment for conception

• Relieve head/neck/backaches & sore feet, muscle cramps/spasms, sciatica & carpal tunnel pain

• Reduce stress on weight-bearing joints

• Increase flexibility/pliability of muscles & skin

• Improve digestion, relieving constipation & gas

• Strengthen immune system function

• Improve blood/lymph circulation, eliminating toxins

• Reduce swelling (edema) & varicose veins

• Reduce fatigue, stress, anxiety & depression

• Encourage deeper sleeps for longer periods

• Improve breathing patterns

• Stabilize hormone levels & stimulate the release of endorphins (natural pain killers) & oxytocin (which causes

relaxation & a mild euphoric state)

• Improve the health & development of baby

• Help prepare a woman’s body & mind for childbirth

• Help you learn how to create an ideal atmosphere for your birth experience, as well as how to obtain the

information you need about childbirth

• Teach you simple exercises, stretches, & comfort measures to reduce stress & complications before & during

childbirth

• Teach your birthing partner ways to help you during labour, including how to provide massage

• Help you understand how to take care of yourself when you are busy with your newborn

• Speed restoration of the body to its pre-pregnancy state & encourage involution (uterine shrinkage)

• Ease muscle strain & fatigue from labour exertions

• Help eliminate excess fluids held within body tissues

• Help to normalize the abdominal skin & connective tissues & help stimulate abdominal muscle tone

• Improve circulation & relieve congestion in organs cramped & displaced during pregnancy

• Rebalance & realign pelvic & spinal structures

• Reduce muscle & joint imbalances caused by common aspects of baby care

• Encourage proper tissue healing & digestive tract functioning (peristalsis) after a cesarean birth

• Unexplained, continual abdominal pains

• Chill & fever over 100 degrees F

• Noticeable decrease in fetal movements

• Persistent & severe nausea or vomiting

• Increasing blood pressure

• Full body or very sudden swelling (systemic edema)

• Persistent & severe headaches

• Dizziness or visual disturbances

• Excessive discharge or vaginal bleeding

• Excessive hunger or thirst with reduced urination

• Frequent burning urination

• Redness, heat, & pain in legs

• Young or old maternal age

• Previous problem pregnancy

• Three or more consecutive spontaneous abortions

• Multiple gestation

• Maternal illnesses: diabetes mellitus, chronic high blood pressure, chronic asthma, cardiac/renal/connective

tissue/liver disorders

• RH or other genetic problems or uterine abnormalities

• Drug or other hazardous material exposure